A Life On The Line
by Haruka Kokoro
Summary: Roy Mustang contemplates the affect Maes Hughes has had on his military family, and on his rise to the top. Oneshot. Lightly implied Royai. Songfic.


NOTE: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist, or that sexy bastard Roy, or Maes, or the kickass Hawkeye, and heavens no I don't own Ed. I'm just a girl who thinks it's fun to take songs by The Fray and make Roy angsty. Ramen?

Author's Note: I know this has been done before, but I figured I could make my own twist on it. Back to my FMA fandom --cuddles Roy-- I love him when he's angsting, just as much as I love him when he's arrogant.

Reviews are wonderful.

Flames are even better.

Readers deserve cookies. Pat yourselves on the back.

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Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend,

Somewhere along in the bitterness.

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The ground was slick from the perpetual fall of rain and tears, nourishing the grass that would soon grow over the mound of freshly churned earth. Perched on this mound was a grave stone hewn out of male grey granite. The inscription was easy to read, as the plaque was no more than a few hours old. Hours that didn't seem real.

As a soldier, it's your duty to be in the line of fire. To be a human shield for the innocent. There is no safe job in the military, no matter how much paperwork is stacked on your desk. There's always a moment, even just an instant, where your life is put on the line. It's why oaths are exchanged when men and women join the military, it's what makes them a family.

It's the knowledge that every time a soldier falls, more than just a family is affected. An entire unit, an entire squad, is affected. Men and women are crushed, broken beyond recognition by near-death experiences. Yet the most scarring of injuries is that to the heart. An injury that can not be healed, ever. In Amestris, it's no different.

It's an honor to be a dog of the military, a privilege to lay down your very life for the good of your fellow soldiers, your family. Maes Hughes was no different, even if his duty was classified as a 'desk job'. The snap-happy family man was the source of much talk around Central headquarters. From his military accomplishments, to the amount of pictures he had developed each week. Even now, in his death, he was a source of conversation. And of tears.

The military-issue cap was pulled over the crown of a certain Roy Mustang's head, casting heavy shadows over the Colonel's defined jaw. Amidst his recollection of his dear friend and fellow coleuge, Mustang had been left alone by the mound of dirt. Even those closest to Maes had left, his widow and child dealing with their loss in their own particular way. But if Roy knew Gracia, she was probably trying her hardest to keep the one piece of Maes she had left in good spirits: Elecia. That child had been his pride and joy, having doubled the amount of film he had developed.

The rest of the military men and women had slowly dwindled from fifty, to twenty, to ten, and as the last stragglers left only Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang remained. Riza had reached out, nearly touching his shoulder in attempts to console him, before drawing back her hand out of apprehension. She then left, presumably waiting by the car like she always did. Because even if she did love him, her loyalty to Roy Mustang her boss and Roy Mustang the man would always surface. Just like Maes Hughes had always been loyal to him.

Maes had promised to help him to the top, and now he was dead. Laying cold in a coffin, six feet below the ground. Roy had nearly agreed with Elecia as she pleaded for her father's fellows to stop burying her sleeping parent. He had work to do, she had said, and he couldn't rest until his tasks were complete. He had so much to give, so much to receive, and a Homunculus had taken that away. Where was the justice in that?

Roy had difficulty breathing, as he reached out apprehensively to brush his gloved fingertips against the granite, croaking a goodbye from his parched throat. With that, the raven haired colonel spun in the heel of his black leather boots and walked away. Leaving yet another friend beneath the ground, because of his mistakes, his misfortunes, his inability to save lives.

----

And I would have stayed up with you all night,

Had I known how to save a life.

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Author's Note: I'm sure everyone noticed the little 'snap happy' joke. :\ I was trying to alleviate my own angst-ing after this little piece. Thanks for reading!


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